Fertilizer and process of making the same



Patented July 22, 1924.

F UNITED STATES FFICE'.

' YASUJURO NIKAIDO, 0F BAY CITY, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNO'R TO MICHIGAN CHEMICAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN. I

FERTILIZER AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YAsUJURo NIKAIDO, a citizen of Japan, and a resident. of Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of "5 Michigan, U. S. A., have made a new and useful Invention in Fertilizers and Processes of Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to fertilizers and has for its primary object the provision of an :improved form of fertilizer and a new method of preparing the same so that the fertilizer is produced in solid or powder form which does not'collect moisture from the atmosphere and become sticky and difficu'lt to handle under such conditions, and which may be made cheaply from products which have been regarded heretofore more or less as waste products resulting from the manufacture of beet sugar.

In the manufacture of beet sugar, there is a large quantity of evaporated Steffens waste water and in the beet molasses distillery, a large quantity of spent liquor or slop, such waste water and slop being generally referred toas beet sugar'residue. This residue contains fertilizer elements of value, such as potassium oxid and nitrogen and has heretofore been sold to a certain extent to fertilizer manufacturers to mix with other materials, such as phosphate rock (calcium phosphate) to make a complete fertilizer, but the residue has never been utilized by itself, or in a primary way, as a fertilizer, as it is of a viscous character and those using the fertilizers ordinarily have no facilities for applying thick liquid fertilizers. certain'difliculties and expense in the matter of transportation due to the requirement of more or less expensive containers which does pot apply to fertilizersin solid or powder 7 I have found that by proper treatment the beet sugar residue may be reduced to a powder form which remains permanently dry, and although absorbing some moisture from the atmosphere never becomes sticky and difiicu'lt to handle. The materials as thus produced contains a relatively high percentage of potassium oxid and nitrogen which are both plant foods of reat value and this material may be applied to the soil or may be mixed with acid phosphate or phosphate Liquid fertilizers also involve Application filed Qctober 9, 1922. Serial No. 593,444.

rock, thus giving a fertilizer which contains and potassium oxid. This mixture can be so adjusted as to give various proportions of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potassium oxid depending upon the varying requirements of the soil. The powder which constitutes the subject matter of the present invention may, therefore, be prepared and sold without mixing with the acid phosphate or it may be mixed with the acid phosphate and sold as a complete fertilizer, and in either case the material remains permanently dry and readily transported and handled.

The procedure in pre aring the powder from the beet sugar resid fie is as follows:

A desired quantity of beet residue is concentrated in an evaporator till it is free from water, transferred to the kettle which is previously heated to about 200 C., then sulphuric acid varying from 15 to 20 per cent on the weight of residue is added while the mass is being constantly agitated. After" addition of acid, the 1 temperature of the kettle is gradually raised toabout 265 C. and kept at this point until the chemical action in the mass is completed. Then heating is discontinued and the mass is removed from the kettle and cooled. When cold, the mass becomes porous and brittle. The mass may readily be brushed and ground to a powder. As heretofore stated, the powder thus obtained remains permanently dry. It absorbs moisture from the atmosphere slightly, but never becomes sticky.

4 The yield of dry material is about 60 per cent of the original residue and the percentage of potassium oxid and nitrogen in the 13.77 per cent of the mass and the nitrogen 5.16 per cent. The percentages in this particular instance are stated. Specifically, but

it will be understood that there is a consider able variation depending upon the particular residue employed and the precise method liquor secured from the beet molasses cistillery and from Steiiens waste water in combination with. acid phosphates containmg various percentages of phosphorlc acid.

Materials used. Per cent plant foods.

Powder Acid A cid i from phosphate phosphate Nitrogen spent 16 per 4 per g a 7 liquor. cent P205. 08301920,.

Pails. Parts Parts.

2.58 8.0 6.88 34 6 3. 10 8. 0 8. 26 13. 5 ll. 5 5. 62 8. 0 9. (A V 17.5 4.14 25.0 11.02 10 4.65 8.0 12.39

Materials used. Per cent plant foods.

Powder from Acid Phos- Potas- Stefiens fi gg gfggi Nitrogen. phoric sium cent P205. cent P 05. acid Parts. Parts Parts.

50 50 2. 67 8.0 8.38 60 34 3. 20 8. 0 10. 06 70 18. 5 ll. 5 3. 74 8. 0 11. '74 80 2 5 l7. 5 4. 27 8. 0 13.42 90 10 4. 80 8.0 15.10

the evaporated slop- The amount of acid employed mayalso be varied. The use of the sulphuric acid is important as it is a powerful destructive agent of organic substances, and it is these organic substances WlllCll, in my op1n1on, impart the sticky jquality to the product when it is heated without the acid. The application of the high temperature in connection with the sulphuric acid. intensifies the action of the acid in. destroying the organic substances ano thus giving a product which is a permanently dry solid either when storedalone or mixed with acid phosphate or phosphate rock. A further advantage secured in treat ing the residue with the sulphuric acid is to arrest the nitrogen which is evolved" from nitrogenous organic substances when subjected to high temperature. VVhen'heated to a high temperature, ranging upward of 200 (1., the nitrogenous organic substances in the residue partially decompose giving off nitrogen in the form of ammonia or amine gases, which, combined with the sulphuric acid, form sulphate of ammonia and hydro-sulphate of amines, thereby preventing a loss of nitrogen. I have foundin the practice of the invention that there-is substantially no loss of nitrogen during the practice of the process,

What I claim is:

1. A fertilizer in the form of a permai'iently drysolid produced by treating beet sugar residue with acid and heating at a temperature upwards of 200 C.

2. A process of producing a fertilizer which consists in treating concentrated beet.

sugar residue with an acid and heatin at a. temperature of upwards of 200 C. until the mass when subsequently cooled forms a permanently. dry solid.

3.18. process of producing a fertilizer which consists in heating concentrated beet sugar residue with sulphuric acid and'heating at a temperature of upwards ofv 200 C. until the mass when subsequently cooled forms a permanently dry solid.

which consists in evaporating beet sugar residue, adding sulphuric acld, and heating at a. temperature of upwards of 200 C.

.1 4. A .process of producing a fertilizer until the mass when subsequently cooledforms a permanently dry solid.

5. A process of producing a fertilizer which consists in evaporating beet sugar residue until it is substantially free from water, adding sulphuric acid and heating at a temperature of upwards of 200 C. until the mass when subsequently cooled. forms a permanently dry solid.

6. process of producing a fertilizer which consists in evaporating beet .s'ugar residue until it is substantially free from water, adding sulphuric acid in quantity by weight ranging in th neighborhood of fifteen to twenty per cent of the weight of the residue and heating at a temperature of upwards .of 200 C. until the mass when subsequently cooled forms a permanently dry solid.

7. A process of producing a fertilizer which consists in evaporating beet sugar residue until it is substantially free from' water, transferring the mass to a receptacle heated to a temperatureapproximating 200 0., adding sulphuric acid, and continuing the heating at an increasing temperature until the subsequently cooled mass forms a solid containing upwards of ten per cent of permanently dry solid. potash and upwards of three per cent of 8. A process of producing a fertilizer nitrogen. 1 7,

which consists in evaporating beet sugar In testimony whereof, I have hereunto residue, adding sulphuric acid and heating subscribed my name this fourth day of at a temperature of upwards of 200 C. October, 1922;

until the subsequently cooled mass forms a YASUJURO NIKAIDO. 

